Love Possibly
by Lady Emily
Summary: There's trouble in paradise when Bailey's inability to say "I love you" to Cody leads to unfortunate misunderstandings... Complete!
1. Part I

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine and I am making no profit from this story. Certain elements of the plot were stolen from my absolute favorite episode of That 70's Show- if you've ever seen it you'll recognize what parts! Hope you like!

* * *

It was after one am. Cody Martin was roused from his sleep by a faint knocking sound at his door. Wondering if he had imagined it, he sat up slowly, trying not to wake his roommate Woody. The soft knock came again, accompanied by a whisper.

"_Cody?_"

Recognizing the feminine voice immediately as that of his girlfriend Bailey Pickett, he swung his feet to the floor and opened the door for her. She looked as sweet as ever in her pajamas, her hair in two messy braids, her feet in fuzzy slippers. "_Bailey? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?_" he whispered anxiously.

She grinned, reaching for his hand and tugging on it. "_Everything's great._" she whispered back. "_I just want to show you something. Hurry up!_"

Cody slipped on his slippers obediently, half anxious, half intrigued. "_It's past curfew._" he reminded her, shooting a nervous glance over his shoulder to ensure that Woody was still sleeping.

"_So?_" Bailey teased in a whisper. "_Take a walk on the wild side. You know you want to..._" she pouted her lips, making the sweet face that always got her her way with Cody. "_It will be worth it. Come on!_"

Cody smothered a smile as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him, feeling the strange but exciting adrenaline rush of sneaking out late with his girlfriend. He and Bailey never did things like this- they had reputations as the smart, sensible students on the ship and always toed the line, so Bailey's middle-of-the-night visit had been rather unexpected. He allowed her to drag him a few feet down the hall before asking, "Aren't you going to tell me where you're taking me?"

"You'll know when we get there!" Bailey replied impatiently. She brought him to the doors that led to the Sky Deck. "Now close your eyes." she instructed. "No peeking."

Feeling somewhat silly, Cody did as she told him, closing his eyes and holding her hands as she led him onto the Sky Deck. He could feel the night sea breeze on his face as she guided him to the rail. "You're not feeding me to the fish, are you?" he chuckled nervously. "Did I forget your birthday or something?"

"No, silly." Bailey laughed. "You can open them now."

Cody opened his eyes and his attention was immediately drawn to the night sky, where shooting star after shooting star was flashing through the darkness. The intense blackness of the open sea all around them made the heavenly lights seem brighter. "The meteor shower." he gasped.

Bailey grinned affectionately as she watched her boyfriend gape at the miraculous sight. "I know you were planning on watching it tomorrow night, but it peaked early, and I just happened to notice through my window..." Bailey was as interested in astronomy as Cody was, but she'd be lying if she said her motive for bringing him out here was purely scientific... there was a little romance in her soul as well.

"It's amazing!" Cody said eagerly. "I've never seen this many before. We must be looking at twenty or thirty a minute!"

"At least!" Bailey concurred. She rested her head on his shoulder and they watched the shower in companionable silence. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Cody agreed. "Almost as beautiful as you." he added softly, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her on the forehead.

Bailey laughed and waved him off. "Oh, stop!" But she drew closer to him, running her hands over his chest and toying with the collar of his striped pajamas.

"Stop what?" Cody teased, kissing her next on the temple, then on the cheek, working his way toward her lips. "Stop telling you how gorgeous, and wonderful, and perfect you are?" With each quality he listed he moved his lips closer to her mouth, finally meeting hers.

Bailey's eyes drifted shut and she kissed him back sweetly, relaxing into his familiar touch. His hands slipped around her waist and she thrilled as he brought their bodies into contact."Cody!" she giggled against his lips, surprised.

He broke away from her, giving her an adorable lop-sided grin. "Sorry." he apologized, moving his hands to interlace his fingers with hers.

"I didn't mean I wanted you to stop..." Bailey murmured coyly.

Cody laughed and pulled her into his arms once more. "It's scary how compatible we are, isn't it? No one else would appreciate this like you would." he said, indicating the blazing shower.

"Except you." Bailey finished, snuggling into his arms.

"Except me." Cody agreed softly. "Thanks for sharing it with me. You're amazing, Bails." He took a deep breath. "Bailey... I love you."

"Uh." Bailey stiffened in his arms. "I love... cake?"

Cody blinked in confusion, dropping his arms from around her. "What?"

"Uh, nothing." Bailey's eyes were wide as she faced him. "Oh, I think I hear someone coming! If we get caught out here we'll get detention!"

Cody, who had heard nothing, reached out and grabbed her wrist. "No, wait..."

But Bailey yanked free. "We should go. Hurry! 'Night, Cody!"

She was off like a shot, leaving Cody standing alone on the deck in shock. "_'Cake'_?"

* * *

"Hey Cody, can I see your math homework for a minute?" Zack called, spotting his brother on the deck on the way to class. When his twin turned toward him, Zack was alarmed by the dark circles under his eyes. "Whoa, Codester. If there was ever any doubt that I'm the handsomer twin, this would clinch it. What happened to you?"

"Up all night." Cody said dully, handing over his homework complacently. "Couldn't sleep."

"Obviously." Zack retorted. "I ask again: what happened to you?"

Cody answered reluctantly. "Last night I told Bailey I loved her and she said she loved cake." he said flatly.

"She said she loved _cake_." Zack repeated, unsure he'd heard correctly. "Like... birthday cake?"

"She didn't specify what kind of cake."

"Well... cake _is_ good." Zack offered lamely.

"I agree, but it was hardly the appropriate time to express _that_ sentiment!" Cody exploded. "What am I supposed to do? She loves _cake?_ Is this some strange new way of breaking up with someone? Because she hasn't even looked me in the eye all morning!"

Zack placed a comforting hand on Cody's shoulder. "Relax, Cody. She's probably just nervous around you now that she knows that you love her. What'd you go and tell her _that_ for anyway?"

Cody leveled a glare at his twin. "Uh, because _I love her?_"

"Cody, Cody, Cody..." Zack sighed theatrically. "You are so ignorant in the ways of the fairer sex. You _love_ her? That is _not _what a woman wants to hear." he paused for a moment. "Actually... yes it is."

Cody brushed Zack's hand off his shoulder. "Yeah, you give great advice." he said sarcastically. "You done with my homework yet?"

"No." Zack whipped the paper out of Cody's reach. "What I _meant_ was, she wasn't ready for something so serious. She wasn't prepared for such a crazy statement to come out of your mouth." He whistled and circled his finger around his temple to indicate 'crazy'.

"We've been dating for six months- it's hardly a 'crazy statement'!" Cody defended. "Even if I never actually _said_ it, she had to _know_ that I love her."

"Uh, obviously she _didn't,_" Zack pointed out. "Or she would have been prepared with something a little smoother than 'I love cake'!"

Cody sat down, hard, on a nearby deck chair. "You're right." he said, burying his face in his hands. "I moved too fast, I told her too soon. She wasn't ready."

"Ya threw yourself at her." Zack agreed. "Chicks aren't interested in desperate guys. She'll probably break up with you... Assuming that train wreck you caused hasn't ended it already."

"So what do I do?" Cody asked miserably.

Zack shrugged. "You need to cool it. Back off of her. Stop professing your dang emotions at the drop of a hat!"

Cody nodded. "Right... I'll be cool. Detached."

"That's the spirit." Zack encouraged. "With any luck Bailey will forget the whole thing ever happened."

* * *

"So why aren't you and Cody talking? Did you finally break up?" London asked as Bailey entered their shared cabin. "I've been telling you to ditch him for months."

"Worse." Bailey said, sinking down on her bed. "He told me he _loves_ me."

"Well, that's not so bad." London said, buffing her nails on her sleeve. "That just means he likes you a lot."

"Uh, yeah, I know what _love _means." Bailey retorted. She scrubbed her face with her hand. "But after he said it, then I said... I said... oh geez, I told him I love cake." Her face reddened just from the embarrassing memory.

"Who doesn't?" London said. "Especially a good, creamy slice of New York cheesecake- low fat, of course- with whipped c-"

"You're missing the point." Bailey said exasperatedly. "I think he was probably expecting a response more along the lines of 'I love you too'? And instead he got _I love cake?_ What in the world would make me say that? We weren't even talking about cake!"

"Oh." London shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure Cody knows by now that you can't always get what you want. Unless you're me. Yay me!"

"Great, London, thanks. Very helpful." Bailey snorted. "What am I going to do about Cody?"

"I don't know." London said. "You want him to disappear? I'd feel a little bad, since he's my friend and all, but I could make that happen."

Bailey's jaw dropped. "No I don't want you to make him disappear! He's my boyfriend!"

"So?" London shot back. "It's not like you love him, right?"

This effectively silenced Bailey.

"Oh my god. You do." London realized. "You love him, you love him! You love him, love him, love him!" she chanted.

"Stop it!" Bailey cried. "Of course I do! I just... I don't know. I panicked."

"You sure did, sister." London agreed. "I mean, you basically said you love cake more than him, and that's not very flattering."

Bailey bit her lip in distress. "I have to find a way to make it up to him. How do you fix it when you do something totally stupid and thoughtless?"

London shrugged. "Have Daddy pay for the damages?"

Bailey sighed. "I don't think that's going to work this time, London. I think I _really_ hurt Cody's feelings."

"And ten thousand dollars would _really_ go a long ways towards making him feel better." London finished, flipping open a fashion magazine. "That's all I'm saying."

* * *

A/N: I had so much fun writing this! Let me know what you thought. Next chapter soon to come!


	2. Part II

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read chapter one, and especially those who reviewed! I absolutely love reading your comments. I'm pretty sure Cody and Bailey will _always_ get advice from Zack and London, despite the fact that it's almost never good! Enjoy part two (otherwise known as: the part where things really get ugly)!

* * *

Bailey spotted her boyfriend across the Sky Deck talking to Zack, who was behind the counter at the juice bar. Summoning her courage, she approached slowly. _I hope he's not mad at me._ "Hey Cody."

He looked over nonchalantly. "Hey Bailey. What's up?" he said coolly.

She bit her lip nervously. _Just apologize and get it over with._ "Nothing really." she answered. "Can we talk about last night?"

Cody looked over Bailey's shoulder at Zack, who was shaking his head and mouthing _no. _Zack was right- the only way to get past the _I-love-you_ debacle was to avoid emotional conflict and pretend it never happened. "No." he said.

Bailey's eyes widened. He didn't even want to talk to her? "Cody, please, I just-"

"Look, Bailey, no worries, everything is cool." Cody cut her off. "Just forget about it."

"But aren't you-"

"Great." Cody said, clapping her on the shoulder. Behind Bailey, Zack was giving him the thumbs up.

"Uh... great." Bailey said, confused and hurt by Cody's casual brush-off. They both sat down at the smoothie counter. "Hey Zack. What's going on with you?"

"Not much." Zack said. "Just testing out some new smoothie flavors." he handed her a brown smoothie and she eyed it doubtfully. "Try it and tell me what you think." he glared at his brother. "Cody won't help me."

Cody raised his hands. "If you knew what kinds of stuff he's tried to feed me in the past you'd know why."

"Zack...what's in it?" she asked suspiciously.

Zack folded his arms. "Have some and see for yourself."

"Fine." Bailey took a small sip. "Mmm."

"Yeah?" Zack said upon seeing her smile. "I call it Cokiwerry."

"Coconut, kiwi, and cherry!" Bailey identified with a grin, taking a longer sip. "This is really good, Zack."

"You like it?"

"I love it!" Bailey replied. Cody winced slightly at her use of the _l-word_. "...Although you might want to work on the presentation a little. It looks like mud."

"Yeah, I know." Zack sighed. "But the red and the green make this nasty gray color, and then when I add the coconut... I'll have to work on it."

"You should really try it." Bailey said to Cody. "It's better than it looks." She offered him a sip from her straw.

Cody leaned over to take a sip, but, at a look from Zack, grabbed his own straw and plunked it into her cup. "Not bad." he agreed.

Bailey was taken aback. Cody could be a bit of a germaphobe at times, but he'd never been afraid of _her_ germs... at least he wasn't when he was kissing her last night! It felt like a signal- maybe he didn't want to date her anymore, after she wouldn't say she loved him... "Cody-"

She was cut off by the sudden arrival of Addison. "Hey, Bailey, Cody, Zack, what's up?" the gangly girl said cheerfully. "So Bailey, a bunch of us girls were going to do a get-together for Becky's birthday next week and I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

Bailey smiled. "Sure, I'd love to!" she said. As much as she enjoyed hanging out with Cody, Zack, Woody, and Marcus all the time, it was always nice to have a girls' night. "Just let me know what time and I'll be there!"

Cody flinched again and Zack sent him a warning look.

"Well, we don't have all the details planned out yet." Addison admitted. "But I'll totally keep you posted."

"Thanks." Bailey replied as Addison turned to go on her way. "Oh, and Addison I love your shoes!"

Cody's eyes widened in petulant disbelief.

Addison's face brightened. "Really? Thanks Bailey!" She hummed a little to herself as she bounded off the deck.

"I guess I should get going too." Bailey said after a moment, sliding off the stool and pushing the rest of the smoothie over for Cody to finish. "I promised London I'd help her paint her name on her fingernails." She looked at Cody hopefully. "Want to hang out later?"

Cody did, but he couldn't seem desperate in front of Bailey. "Oh, I don't know." he said. "I've got a lot of homework to take care of."

Bailey looked disappointed and suspicious at the same time. "No you don't, you do all your homework weeks in advance."

Cody blushed and shrugged. He should have known she would call him on that stupid excuse. "How do you think I _stay_ weeks in advance?"

Bailey looked at her feet. "Oh. Well, if you get the time, come find me."

"Yep. See ya, Bails." Cody said coolly. He waited until she left before complaining to Zack. "I hate being cold to Bailey! That was hard."

"Geez, you _are_ desperate."

"And what was up with her today? Love, love, love!" Cody exclaimed. "Smoothies, shoes, get-togethers! She loves everything but me!"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Come on Code, she always talks like that. Everyone does." he pointed out. "She doesn't _mean_ it."

Cody rested his folded arms on the counter and buried his head in them. "Why couldn't she not _mean_ it about _me?_" he whined.

"Well she might have meant it about the birthday party... after all there'll probably be _cake_ there." Zack smirked.

"Shut up."

Zack snapped the rag he was using to wipe the counter at his brother's head. "Go be pathetic somewhere else, you're scaring off the customers."

* * *

Bailey took a deep breath and knocked on Cody's cabin door. "I love you." she burst out as it swung open.

To her dismay, Woody was standing before her, grinning like an idiot. "Well thanks, Bailey, I think you're pretty swell too." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she made a face.

"Not you. Cody." she clarified, pushing Woody aside and moving into the room. Cody was reclining on the back legs of his chair with his feet propped on his desk, his nose buried in a textbook. He didn't even look up during Bailey and Woody's exchange.

"Hey, Cody, Bailey says she loves you." Woody relayed.

"Yeah, thanks Woody." Cody said, continuing to read.

Bailey folded her arms, upset. "Is that textbook really more interesting than me standing here telling you I love you?" she questioned.

Woody reached behind him, grabbing a box of chocolate covered peanuts off his desk and proceeding to munch on them while watching the pair intently. "I doubt it." he answered. "I'm riveted."

"Not you." Bailey said, rolling her eyes. "Cody. You've been avoiding me all week."

"We hung out just yesterday." Cody pointed out.

"Yeah, but we didn't talk. Not like we usually do." Bailey retorted.

Cody shut the book and stood up. "And you thought that marching in here and declaring your love for me would fix that?"

"Actually, yes!" Bailey said, starting to get angry. "Don't even try to tell me that's not what you're all bent out of shape about."

"Oh boy..." Woody murmured, looking back and forth between the couple.

"I'm not bent out of shape." Cody said calmly. "I was just turning down the emotional heat so you would be more comfortable."

"But I like the emotional heat!" Bailey protested.

"Ooh..." Woody raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Wow."

"As much as you like _cake_?" Cody shot back.

"Oh no he didn't!" Woody cried.

"Woody!" Bailey and Cody exclaimed together. "No one is talking to you!" Cody finished in exasperation.

"You don't have to make fun of me, Cody. I know it was a stupid thing to say." Bailey said angrily.

"Then why'd you say it? We weren't even talking about cake! Are you just _always_ thinking about cake when we're together?" Cody asked accusingly.

"No! Of course not!" Bailey cried. "Look at yourself! You're jealous of _cake_!"

"What? You're the only one who's allowed to have feelings for cake?!" Cody returned. "I mean... wait, I'm not jealous!"

"And _I'm_ not in love with cake, I'm in love with you!" Bailey spat.

"Oh, that's really nice, that's _just_ how I imagined this moment." Cody sniped. "The venom in your voice is really tugging on my heartstrings."

"Oh, that is _it!_" Bailey shouted, stamping her foot like a child having a tantrum. "You're a worse boyfriend than Moose!" She turned and stomped out of the room.

Woody leaned towards Cody and asked, "Was she talking about Moose like her ex, or mousse like chocolate pudding?"

Cody folded his arms. "Who knows?!" he yelled so Bailey could still hear him. "_We all know how strongly she feels about dessert!_"

* * *

A/N: Oh snap. Stay tuned for the third and final part! Coming soon!


	3. Part III

A/N: Thanks again to all my readers and especially to my reviewers- your comments and encouragement are priceless! I figured Zack would sympathize with Bailey on the 'I love you' thing, since he's not exactly the type to want that kind of commitment (cell phone plan, remember?)- hopefully his advice to Cody didn't seem out of character. I had a lot of fun with the beginning of this chapter too. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"Hey Woodster, what can I get you?" Zack said from behind the Easy Squeezy counter, grinning as his friend appeared on the Sky Deck.

Woody slumped onto one of the bar stools. "Something with caffeine in it." he moaned. He lowered his voice. "Cody kept me up all night crying."

"Yeah I know how that can be." Zack said sympathetically, handing Woody a soda. "Wait, what's wrong with Cody?" He looked across the deck to where his brother was working, handing out towels with a grim look on his face.

"Here you go. Enjoy your happiness while you can, because one day it will be gone forever." He heard Cody tell a passenger in a flat voice.

"Okay Mr. Moseby's gonna hate that." Zack said, cringing. "What happened, Woody?"

Woody's eyes widened. "You didn't hear? Cody and Bailey broke up!"

"What?!" Zack was shocked. "But they're like, the perfect nerd couple! Oh man, no wonder he's crushed. He's never been good at taking breakups well."

"Yeah, and it wasn't pretty either. There was yelling, and foot stomping, and nasty words like 'you're a worse boyfriend than Moose' and 'cake' went flying around... Just don't mention the B-word to him." Woody yawned. "He sat up all night hugging his pillow, and then every half hour or so he would say 'Bailey...' and then burst into tears all over again."

Zack sighed. "I guess I should go talk to him. Watch the counter while I'm gone, Woodchuck? ...Woody?" Woody was resting his head on the bar, snoring softly. "Eh, you'll be fine." He pulled off his apron and walked over to the towel stand. "Hey Cody, how you doing?"

"Peachy keen." Cody answered, in a voice devoid of emotion. "What do you want?"

Zack put an arm around Cody's shoulders. "Just to be here for my brother in his darkest hour of despair. I heard what happened. You okay, man?"

"What makes you think I'm in despair?" Cody replied, handing out another towel. "Here you go, ma'am."

"Well for starters you're talking like a zombie." Zack said bluntly. "Look Codester, it's okay to be upset. Just because you're not with Bailey anymore-" Zack stopped as Cody's face crumpled and he began weeping openly at the sound of Bailey's name. "Shoot. Woody even warned me about the B-word." he muttered.

People stared at them as Cody buried his face in one of his towels and sobbed, "Bailey...."

"Cody!" Zack took his brother's shoulders and shook him. "Snap out of it! It's not the end of the world! There are other fish in the sea!"

"I don't want anyone else!" Cody moaned. "I love Bailey!"

"And that's what got you in to this mess, remember?" Zack said. "Okay, look, maybe you can get her back. You just gotta man up! Stop crying!"

"You really think I could get her back?" Cody hiccuped, looking at his brother hopefully.

Zack shrugged. "Depends on how badly you screwed up. What happened?"

"She came in mad at me for being cold, and I said some things regarding her love of... pastry and then she basically screamed that she loved me and before I knew it it was over!" Cody said, teetering on the brink of tears again.

"That's... weird." Zack said, rubbing his brother's shoulder. "Look, Codes, she obviously cares about you. You just have to find a way to make it up to her."

Cody wiped his nose on the towel and handed it off to a disgusted passenger. "Like what?"

Zack bit his lip to hide a smile. "Well, you could always bake her some-"

"Don't you dare. Say. Cake." Cody said darkly, glaring at Zack.

"Flowers?" Zack finished innocently.

Just then London came onto the deck, looking more droopy and unpolished than the boys had ever seen her. She spotted them and made her way over but stumbled over her own feet. Zack caught her and held her up. "You okay, London?" He released her after a moment but grabbed hold of her again when she immediately began to teeter sideways.

London yawned widely in Zack's face before answering. "Sorry, I guess four-inch heels don't work on two hours of sleep."

"Yeah I'm sure it's the heels." Zack said sarcastically. "Or it could be the fact that you're wearing two different shoes."

"Both of which are left shoes." Cody added. "And only one of which has a four-inch heel."

London looked at her feet and let out an ear-piercing shriek. "Ahhh! I don't match!"

"Guess now's not a good time to tell her she's wearing two different earrings too." Zack muttered to his brother.

"I wouldn't." Cody muttered back.

London narrowed her eyes and glowered at Cody. "This is your fault, Cody. You fix it."

Cody sighed. "I'll bite: how is it my fault you can't tell whether your shoes match?"

"Because I'm TIRED!" London snapped. "Because my stupid ROOMMATE spent all night CRYING over her stupid BOYFRIEND. Which is YOU."

Cody's eyes widened. "Bailey's crying?" he repeated in shock. "Over _me?_"

"Make her stop, Cody!" London begged, resting her head on Zack's shoulder. "I NEED my beauty sleep!"

"You can say that again." Zack agreed, looking at London's disheveled appearance.

"No one asked to hear your sass, Zack." London said tiredly. She reached out and put the key to her and Bailey's room in Cody's hand. "Cody I will pay you a thousand dollars to go talk to her." she mumbled as her eyelashes fluttered closed and she began to snore.

"You don't have to." Cody said distractedly, setting down his towels and walking off the deck.

"Dude!" Zack exclaimed. "She was about to pay you to do something you were going to do anyway!" Cody ignored him, and Zack gestured his hands in exasperation, letting go of the heiress, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder. Without his arm supporting her she toppled to the floor, continuing to snore. "Oops... Eh, she'll be fine."

"Zack!" Mr. Moseby appeared on the upper deck. "Why has the juice bar been left unattended? And where is my towel boy? And _why _is Mr. Tipton's daughter asleep on this filthy deck?"

Zack grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "She's Tipton's daughter, Mr. Moseby. She can sleep wherever she wants."

* * *

Cody took a deep breath before slipping London's key into the lock and entering the cabin. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the afternoon, the lights were off and a shade was drawn over the porthole, leaving the room in darkness. Before Cody could say a word he heard Bailey's watery voice. "For the last time, London, I am not moving into the cargo hold." He could just see her shadowy figure sitting up in bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Actually, it's me." Cody said softly. "Mind if I come in?"

"Cody!" Bailey gasped, sitting up straight and wiping tears off her face with the blanket. She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make herself presentable. "I thought you were... what is it?"

"I just wanted to talk." Cody said. "And to tell you I'm sorry, for everything. One little misunderstanding and we're suddenly in this epic fight... I just want things to go back to the way they were... before the meteor shower."

"Really?" Bailey sniffled. "Me too. And I'm sorry too. This is all my fault."

"I should have been more understanding." Cody said.

"I should never have said you weren't as good a boyfriend as Moose." Bailey returned tearfully. "You were. You were so much better."

Cody cringed at her use of the past tense in reference to their relationship. "Can I turn on the light?" he asked slowly.

"Go for it." Bailey sighed. She flinched as he flicked the switch and light filled the room, illuminating her bloodshot eyes and tearstained face. Cody's jaw dropped at the sight and Bailey, sensitive about her appearance, turned away angrily.

"You _were_ crying over me." he said in disbelief.

"Shut up."

Cody moved toward her. "Bails, I just meant... I didn't know you'd be as upset as I was about all this. I couldn't sleep at all last night thinking about how stupid I am for losing you."

"Me neither." Bailey said quietly. "I was the stupid one. I should have just told you-"

Cody knelt behind her on the bed and reached for her hand. "Bailey. I didn't say I loved you just so you'd say it back. I said it because it's true."

There was a long silence.

"Cody..." Bailey said softly, turning back to him. "I..."

"You don't have to say it." Cody reminded her.

Bailey nodded. "Moose used to tell me he loved me all the time, even though all he ever saw me as was a simple farm girl who wanted nothing but a husband, some land, and some cows. We grew up together, and he didn't even know me."

Cody caught her other hand in his. "I know you. You're Bailey Pickett from Kettlecorn, Kansas. You love animals and science and folk art. You have big dreams and you can find adventure anywhere. You're beautiful and funny, and you're one of the smartest people I've ever met, and you're kind to everyone, even when they don't deserve it. You might be a farm girl, but you're anything but simple."

Bailey squeezed his hands, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, Cody... that's why it meant so much more coming from you. I know I messed up. I panicked. But... I do love you, you know."

"I know. I love you too." Cody answered, pulling her in for a hug. He held her tightly, suddenly realizing that he _had_ known, all along. They pulled apart slightly, and Cody couldn't stop himself from smiling at their successful exchange of vows. "Let's say _that_ was our first 'I love you'."

Bailey nodded. "Let the record show that _those_ were the first." she confirmed with a grin before pulling him into a kiss. 


End file.
